Flow Field Analysis of a Blended-Wing-Body Re-entry Vehicle in Different Speed Regimes

Abstract

The need to perform effective space operations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), including support and servicing missions for the International Space Station (ISS), has led to a growing demand for aerodynamic configurations that offer good performance throughout the entire atmospheric re-entry phase. In this framework, the research work addressed the design of a reusable Blended Wing Body (BWB) configuration capable of withstanding the extreme conditions faced during re-entry and landing as a glider on a conventional runway. For this purpose, a Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) procedure was employed, accounting for constraints on maximum normal load factor, heatshield allowable temperature, dynamic pressure, landing velocity, etc. Additionally, the minimization of mass was considered as the objective function. The multidisciplinary analyses were performed using LowOrder Fidelity (LOF) methods, with the ultimate aim of validating the results through high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The CFD simulations presented in this work were conducted under both subsonic and hypersonic flow regimes for the configuration NM0, one of the six optimized aeroshapes obtained from the MDO procedure